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Lack of Midwives Stalls Plan
for Delivery of Babies at Home

Though ambitious, the plan is still early for Dubai where approximately 12,000 babies are born in government hospitals each year. Besides, the plan cannot take off until a considerable number of midwives who understand the local culture and customs are trained and hired.

“The programme is still in the very early stages and we need more midwives,” said Alison Janet Ramsay, Director of Nursing at Al Wasl Hospital.

“We need to have in place the required infrastructure, training, education and more robust ways of antenatal care,” she added. If implemented, the programme would give obstetricians and doctors more time to follow up with high-risk cases admitted in hospitals.

Al Wasl, the biggest antenatal hospital in the emirate with 7,000 births per year, employs 700 nurses and 15 midwives. “If the birth rate increases in the future, we may not be able to cope,” said Ramsay.

A critical aspect of the plan that included referring low-risk women to primary healthcare centres for delivery has seen a considerable success. However, midwives and nurses were trained to identify high-risk patients beforehand. The healthcare system is already under immense pressure and several expectant mothers are forced to turn to expensive delivery options in the private sector. At present, at least 20 per cent of pregnant women in Al Wasl have a long waiting time due to overcrowding before being given an antenatal appointment.To overcome the shortage, the hospital has tied up with Dubai Women’s College to train 20 students each year under the first Bachelor in Midwifery Programme in the country.

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.ae

• UAE